Project Update from BW
It might feel like nothing is going on but there is plenty. The general frustrations that are felt about the progress of the project and getting started are felt by all but everyday brings us closer to the main engineering works, building on the other work which has been done recently on towpaths, education and canoeing improvements.
The Funding Agreements are progressing and what we’re discussing is the detail. When delivering multi million pound projects there’s almost as much detail in the legal agreements as there is in the application! It’s very important that the detail is right for all the Partners, the funders and the Canals. They will be finalised in the next month.
Over the last month there have been rumours in the local press and on the local grapevine that Worcestershire County Council may withdraw their money. I’ve also heard that both AWM and HLF were also going to withdraw their funding. This is clearly a case of careless talk with a sprinkling of chinese whispers thrown in for good measure. There certainly has never been any question that the either AWM or HLF or indeed Worcestershire County Council would withdraw their funding. The County Council’s £1m remains committed to the project and is ringfenced so cannot be used for anything else. The Council has supported the project for many years and was behind the unsuccessful funding bids in the 1990s. Despite this, the Council were not deterred and still committed their £1m to the project in recognition of the importance and benefits restoration will bring.
The origin behind all the rumours was in relation to the funding contracts from AWM and HLF. Both contracts have clawback conditions whereby the funder can claw some or all of their money if either BW (as project manager) or Wychavon District Council (as landowner) defaults on the project in a significant way. The risk of clawback is extremely small, nevertheless, it is still a risk. As the County Council is not named in either contract, but remain a key stakeholder in the project, it seems fair and in the essence of Partnership working, that the cost of this small risk of clawback should be shared between the three non-charitable Partners i.e. WCC, WDC and BW. In the worst case scenario the risk could cost the Partnership £7.6m. In the most likely scenario it will cost the Partnership nothing. We have to remember that both HLF and AWM want the project to happen and deliver the outputs and they are not looking to trip us up so they can claw their money back.
I am very pleased to report that we now have confirmation that at their Cabinet meeting of 9 th March, the County Council agreed to share the risk associated with the funding agreements with both Wychavon District Council and British Waterways. Panic Over. This type of negotiation is commonplace between Partners and Stakeholders for many major funding awards and is not something that is normally aired in public. I feel that this only plants the seed of doubt amongst the local community and could also jeopardise funding from others who might be under the impression that the restoration has too many issues and is unlikely to happen. Therefore, as always, I would urge people to contact me (details below) in order to fully understand something they may have heard via others.
Planning Application/Environmental Impact Assessment
Submission of the Planning Application and associated Environmental Impact Assessment is one of the key areas of work at the moment. This piece of work seems to have been going on for a long time. One of the reasons for this is the need to satisfy the Environment Agency with regard to the canalisation of the River Salwarpe to the east of Vines Park and to ensure that there is no increase in flood risk to adjacent properties as a result. Without bottoming this issue out, the Environment Agency would object to the Planning Application; a position which would probably be supported by the planners for such an important issue. British Waterways has therefore employed Halcrow Group to undertake a detailed Flood Risk Assessment Study. Modelling work has predicted a significant reduction in flood risk and protection of around 34 existing properties from a 1 in 100 year flood event. Additionally, a significant reduction in flood risk to two sites identified for future development would also result from canalisation.
The Environment Agency are currently reviewing the modelling work we have done and once they are satisfied we will be able to submit the planning application. This will hopefully be at the end of March. Flood alleviation afforded by the restoration scheme will be a very important planning gain as it will benefit both businesses and householders adjacent to the River Salwarpe. In addition it could also attract some financial support from the Environment Agency. Despite the delay associated with submission of the planning application, this does not hold up the programme. We are undertaking a lot of detailed design work at the moment which will allow us to start on site once planning permission has been given. The project is still programmed to be completed by the end of 2008 with the Grand Opening on the start of the 2009 boating season.
Engineering
Detailed designs for the new cut on the Junction Canal are progressing. A slight realignment is being investigated around the proposed Rugby Club bridge over the canal with the possibility of moving the new Lock 4 further west, closer to the M5. This will mean grouping two locks closer together possibly as a staircase lock. This will mean that we need to remove less earth which will have environmental benefits and could also significantly reduce costs.
Whilst there may potentially be savings on the Junction Canal, this is unlikely to be the case with the A449 crossing. In the last edition of the New Wych, we reported that the proposed route under the road would hit the 1942 extension to the original bridge according to the aerial photographs of the construction of the dual carriageway in the 1960s. In order to progress the detailed design of this structure ground investigations will be undertaken in late Spring. This will involve drilling down into the embankment on either side of the road to establish the ground conditions and allow us to determine the position of the original bridge. We are currently in negotiations with the Highways Agency, not only to secure the appropriate licence to undertake the investigations, but also to garner their support and permission for the construction stages.
Archaeology
Further investigations have been made into the suspected Wych Barge at Hawford across the entrance of the river lock. It has been thought for a long time, that if there is a trow sunk in this location it may be the Volunteer. David Viner (Heritage Advisor in the BW Regeneration Team) has undertaken archive searches and talked to local people to try and corroborate the stories and, to date, the majority of the evidence suggests that there’s nothing there. This involved consulting the Greenwich Maritime Museum archives which records the Severn Trow, Volunteer as being broken up at Bristol Bridge by B. Perry 23 rd Jan 1934.
Nevertheless, there are still a few unknowns, not least aerial photographs from 1946 and 1954 which seem to show an object which is trow shaped in the river Severn adjacent to the canal. Ultimately we will have to dig a trench to investigate this further, but the next stage of investigation will involves Ground Penetrating Radar (as seen on Time Team) and soil conductivity testing. This will be funded by DCT and will help us to identify where exactly we should dig. We will obviously keep you posted on this interesting aspect of the project.
Getting involved.
Education
The new education resources can now be seen on the WOW website ( www.wow4water.net ) and include lesson plans for teachers to use with children aged between 7 and 11, specifically about the canals in Droitwich.
We are also planning for schools’ weeks in the summer. We will be offering opportunities for classes to come to the canal for a 2 hour session looking at the habitats, having a go at canoeing and learning more about the canals by being out there. If you’d like to help out with these, please get in contact with Adam Wright (phone number at the back of New Wych).
Interpretation and Arts projects –
Updates on the projects that we’re working on:
- The Wych Barge in Vines Park - we are at the point of letting the contract for who will be working on the Wych Barge. As you’ll remember, we won the People’s Millions TV vote for the replica land based barge to be based in Vines Park. We will be working with local people in its development and input from members of DCT will be invaluable.
- The Romanesque Mosaic in Vine’s Park – Artist Alison Ogle has created a mosaic with 3 local schools. It is being installed close to St Richard’s statue in Vines Park in March and represents the salt trade, the canals and Droitwich through the ages.
The other projects that we’re planning include:
- The Netherwich Young People’s Art Project – a lighting, mural and towpath improvement project under the railway bridges near the basin. We’ve been granted funding for this from Wychavon District Council, The Environment Agency and we’re awaiting a reply to the Young Roots fund.
For more details about these plans in the meantime, have a look at www.britishwaterways.co.uk/droitwich .
Money
What’s there already?
We have nearly £10.5m towards the total £11.5m budget. This is from Advantage West Midlands, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Liveability), Sport England, Worcestershire County Council and Wychavon District Council. We have also received smaller grants from Trusts and other sponsors which are listed under each project as appropriate.
What we still need
We have a £1 million funding gap and, led by The Waterways Trust and British Waterways, we are looking at a number of ways to raise this.
Kim Chester (TWT) is working closely with DCT and other involved organisations to submit applications to grant making bodies. These applications are generally tied to specific projects so are fantastic for the community projects that the restoration is supporting.
In addition Kim is submitting a number of applications to the Lottery for larger and more strategic projects such as the volunteer co-ordinator.
Community fundraising will kick off in the next few months with the launch of the public appeal. Did you know that the restoration will return 11,500 metres of canal to full navigable order? With a fundraising target of £1 million that equates to £86.95 per metre! We will be commemorating all those who help us to secure a metre of canal via a special plaque in Vines Park –more details coming to your local press soon!
DCT have been at the forefront of the restoration for many years and we need your help and support to take this project forward. The best way of fundraising is not necessarily to go around asking for money. Instead, tell everyone you know about the project; encourage them to find out more via DCT’s website and that of British Waterways; invite them along to events and get them involved. By involving as broad an audience as possible we can start to develop the networks that are so essential for sustainable fundraising – your next door neighbour might be a member of the Rotary, or they may sit on the board of a grant making body, they may even be the chair of a multi national!
If the right person introduces them to the restoration (ie you!) they are much more likely to engage with the cause and end up supporting the restoration. So even if you can’t afford the time to volunteer or the money to donate you can still help to ensure the success of the restoration - just get out there and start talking about why you support DCT!
Contacts
If members have any questions at all relating to the restoration project please feel free to contact either:
- James Thompson (james.thompson@ britishwaterways.co.uk or 01452 318028)
- Edd Moss (edward.moss@britishwaterways.co.uk or 01452 318050)
- Kim Chester ( kim.chester@thewaterwaystrust.co.uk or 01452 318098)